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Adherence to treatment

from Psychology, health and illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2014

By
Rob Horne
Edited by
Susan Ayers ,
Andrew Baum ,
Chris McManus ,
Stanton Newman ,
Kenneth Wallston ,
John Weinman  and
Robert West
Rob Horne
Affiliation:
University of London
Susan Ayers
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Andrew Baum
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
Chris McManus
Affiliation:
St Mary's Hospital Medical School
Stanton Newman
Affiliation:
University College and Middlesex School of Medicine
Kenneth Wallston
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
John Weinman
Affiliation:
United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's
Robert West
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
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Summary

Introduction

Non-adherence is perceived to be a significant problem in all aspects of healthcare from taking medication to attending counselling sessions. Thousands of research papers have been published on the topic in the last few decades yet non-adherence remains a key challenge in modern healthcare. The main focus of research and reviews has been on adherence to medication prescribed for long-term medical conditions. This is hardly surprising. In affluent countries, most healthcare resources are devoted to the management of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and asthma. Here, good outcomes depend as much on self-management by the patient as on good medical care and, for most of these conditions, self-management hinges on the appropriate use of medicines. However many patients fail to achieve this. Estimates of the incidence of non-adherence to medication range widely from 2–98%, partly because of differences in the way adherence is defined and measured across studies. Most reviews estimates that 30–50% of medication prescribed for chronic illness is not taken as directed (Meichenbaum & Turk, 1987; Myers & Midence, 1998; World Health Organization, 2003). If the prescription was appropriate, then this level of non-adherence is a concern for those providing, receiving or funding healthcare because it not only entails a waste of resources but also a missed opportunity for therapeutic benefit (DiMatteo et al., 2002). Unfortunately, effective interventions remain elusive (Haynes et al., 2002).

Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Handbook of Psychology, Health and Medicine , pp. 415 - 421
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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